David and Goliath Review and Giveaway

Mary paused and whispered, "Bye, Daddy. I miss you."

She pulled the door closed, creating a dismal hue in the room.

Good. Just leave...and don't bother coming back. I don't want to see any of you again.

David Liberty is a broken, lonely, and embittered old man. With his mind still intact but trapped in a physical failing body, doomed to spend his last remaining days in a nursing home, David welcomes his impending death - his escape from life.

All that changes when he is visited by an angel, Joelle, who confronts his past failings and offers David a second chance at life. At first David scoffs, but the chance to renew his body and live again intrigues him. But there is an extraordinary condition: "You will demonstrate to God through your actions that you believe and love Him," Joelle announces. David must help others reignite their faith so they do not lose their eternity. Faith with works, David soon learns is a living faith.

Temporarily escaping the walls of his nursing home, David is thrown into the lives of people he begins to care deeply for. He hopes to reunite them with God, but he discovers another obstacle - the angel has removed David's ability to speak. His actions alone will define who he is. In addition, David must fight a powerful enemy, who seeks to destroy God's children any way he can - and David, as well.

In the book, David and Goliath, The Guardian Angels Chronicles, by Bryan Hathaway, this is just the way the book opens. We learn that David Liberty used to be a very successful motivational speaker responsible for changing the lives of each person who heard him. Yet the only lives he never changed was his own. He has failed to show the very people whom he loves that he has changed. His was a life of spoken words but never one of action in his own life.

When he is faced with facing death and being trapped inside his own physical body, he wants so desperately to tell those who come to visit how much he loves and cares for them, but can't. Until Joelle shows up and gives David the second chance he's been dreaming of, but he can't speak. He has to show the peoples whose lives he finds himself a part of, that their lives are worth something, and he has to do it with actions only. Only the enemy isn't about to give up his souls so quickly.

This is such a moving story and truly did not expect an ending that I was anticipating, it truly sets itself up as a sequel. This book is like A Wonderful Life meets Highway to Heaven, and I look forward with anticipation to the sequel in this series.

I received this heartwarming, feel good book, compliments of Glass Roads Public Relations for my honest review.

Thanks to Glass Roads, I am able to offer one lucky winner a copy of this wonderful book. Here are the conditions to this giveaway:

• Be a follower of my blog.

• I must have a way to reach you by email. Please include an email address with your comment.

• This is for US and Canada residents only. No P.O. Boxes please!

• Leave me a comment and tell me if you believe in angels and if you have had an angel encounter. I'd love to hear it.

The giveaway will end on July 20th. Winners will be notified by email.

Sweet Misfortune Giveaway and Review

Sophie owns a chocolate shop where she sells Misfortune Cookies-dipped in bitter chocolate they contain messages she hand writes each day such as "Your car seems fine now, but just wait...it will eventually be a source of frustration and unexpected delay." What starts as a gimmick, turns into a surprise hit with customers. But when her ex-fiancée moves back to their small Washington town, he is surprised at how bitter and unhappy Sophie has become. He proposes a bet--she must place an ad in the paper that simply states "Wanted: Happiness.(excerpt from inside cover).

My Review:

This is such a wonderful story and you'll be so surprised at how it ends up. At the beginning of each chapter there are cynical fortunes that Sophie personally writes and inserts into each of the bitter fortune cookies she sells in her chocolate shop. It is easy to figure out just why she is that way after her fiancee dumps her just a week before her wedding. At least she has found an outlet for her pain and it's the best seller at her shop.

We find the book opening to Sophie's birthday and one she hates to celebrate. It's on that fateful day twenty years ago that her life would be forever changed when she loses her family in a horrible car accident leaving her an orphan.

Yet Garrett Black shows up that on her birthday wanting to explain why he called off the wedding if she is only willing to give him a date. Sophie has no intention on following through and decides that placing an ad in the Times looking for happiness is the best way to deal with him. She tells him if 100 responses come in that she approves are true feelings of happiness, than she will agree to go on that one date and learn the truth of why he devastated her life that day.

I received this wonderful, rainy day, romance book, Sweet Misfortune, by Kevin Alan Milne, compliments of Hachette Book Groups in exchange for my honest review. This one rates a perfect 10. The story and characters are so believable that I was turning pages as fast as I could read them. It's a heart rendering story of how God can use bad things to bring about true and lasting happiness.

For more information on this book, the author and where to pick up a copy of this book, simply click on the link below. This book is available in hard cover and eBook formats.

http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/books_9781599952970.htm

Thanks to the generosity of Hachette Book Groups, I am offering 3 beautiful copies of this book, to followers of my blog. This giveaway is available to US and Canada residents only and No P.O. Boxes please. Simply leave me a comment on the best fortune you've ever gotten and I will be drawing winners on July 19th.

Hurricanes in Paradise

From the moment Riley Sinclair steeped onto Paradise Island, Bahamas, and into her new job as director of guest relations at a five-star resort, she felt the pieces of her once-broken life finally coming together.

But the waters become choppy when Riley discovers that some who come to the Atlantis hotel arrive with more than just suitcases and suntan lotion in tow - they're accompanied by their lurking demons, paralyzing secrets, and overwhelming fears.

Riley and three women guests are in desperate but unknowing need of each other, eventually forging unlikey yet powerful friendships. With a hurricane headed straight for the island, together they embark on a journey of laughter and lunacy, heartache and healing. (excerpt from back cover).

My Review:

Hurricanes in Paradise by Denise Hildreth is a wonderful story of the strong and much needed and desired friendships of women, especially in the face of crisis. Riley Sinclair is the director of guest relations at the Atlantis hotel, whose job is to ensure each guest receives the finest the hotel has to offer.

When Riley is faced with three VIPs she needs to make sure that these three recieve top priority and whatever they specifically request. The first, Laine Fulton, a well acclaimed author who is planning on researching her latest novel at the Atlantis hotel. Rumor has it that she is overbearing, demanding and bossy and those are just some of her good traits.

Her second priority guest is Winnie Harris, who is the principal of a school for troubled teens. She is flashy and full of Southern flair and charm, whose goal is to lose herself from the family who is overcontrolling and wishing her to move on in her life without her husband Sam who has passed away 3 years ago. Winnie is stuck in the past and is fleeing her family by arriving at the Atlantis.

The last guest is a young pagent model, Tamyra Larsen, who is been hiding a deep dark secret from her family for the last 6 weeks and doesn't know how to tell her family. She winds up at the Atlantis looking for a way to heal from her secrets.

All three women will encounter one another and in return the healing waters of the Atlantis hotel will change all of their lives forever even as the forecast for a hurricane looms on the horizon.

This book was amazing and perfect 10! I was so immersed by each women's story of what they were holding on to and how through their unique bonds of friendship each of them begins to heal another. If you are looking for an amazing summer read or simply a story to completely lose yourself in, trust me, get this one.

I received this book, compliments of Tyndale House Publishers for my honest review, and have to say, I wish there was a sequel to it! I loved it! This book is available in paperback and eBook format from Tyndale House Publishers.

With Hearts Courageous

In this sequel to Into The Storm, With Hearts Courageous by Jon Steven Nappa takes you on a journey into the private and personal life of Sir William Hillary.

Sir William Hillary is the founder of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution or RNLI who spent his life finding ways to help those less fortunate than himself. In one situation the herring fleet of fisherman find themselves caught in a storm only to loss more than 75% of the fleet both in the loss of men and their boats.

When one particular local fisherman finds his son rescued after his boat is overturned, he wishes to repay the family of the man who saved him. The man named Red unfortunately in saving Micheal's son passes away upon reaching the beach. He leaves behind a wife and children who have no way of supporting themselves now that they have lost their husband and father.

Michael is distraught when he can't provide for his own family due to losing his own fishing boat, and wants desperately to help Red's family as well. Thankfully, Sir William comes to the rescue and offers Michael a boat as a Christmas gift. This way Michael can provide a means for both families.

Sir William shows us that we can provide hope where all seems lost and the book follows his story from riches to rags who puts everything on the line in service to a passionate call.

I received this book compliments of Kathy Carlton Willis Communications for my honest review. It makes for a great sequel to show the sweeter side of life when it doesn't boil down to how much money one has, but what one does with the money he has to make life better for others. I would rate this book an 8 out of 10. This book is available at Barnes and Noble in paperback and hardcover versions.

For more information on this book, the author and where you can pick up a copy of this book, click on the link below:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/With-Hearts-Courageous/Jon-Steven-Nappa/e/9780615323954/

Book Hop!

Hosted by Jennifer from CRAZY FOR BOOKS

Here are the instructions from her site:

Every day I seem to find another book blog that I start following. In the spirit of the Friday Follow, I thought it would be cool to do a Book Blog Hop to give us all bookies a chance to connect and find new blogs that we may be missing out on! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed!

So, if you'd like to participate, just repost this on your blog, sign MckLinky on her site, and check out other blogs in MckLinky! Let's connect and make new book bloggy friends!! So, if you consider yourself a book blogger, come join the fun!
Pretty please - Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.

Don't forget, I have 2 books on the right hand side bar for giveaways that end today! Simply click on the titles and leave a comment when your there, of course you need to be a follower of mine but that's all there is to it.

To Those Who Suffer

Have you ever stopped long enough to watch a freight or passenger train as it rumbles on down the track? Ever wonder where it might be headed?

Have you ever made the connection between a train engine and our lives?

When more passengers cars or freight cars are added to the one engine on a train, it will only be able to pull so much weight before they will either need to add another engine or reduce the number of cars that this engine can carry.

Our lives are like this in the same respect that the more circumstances or trials we endure, the past we refuse to let go of, or even past hurts or grievances we can't forgive, they become like those additional cars that get added to our engine or life.

Once we get so over loaded or burdened, we can't not move forward until something is given up. Sure it's easy to expect the circumstances or trials to be removed, but without any cars, the train has no purpose. It has no where to go. It's much easier to remove the cars like past grievances or hurts because God did not intend us to live a life holding on to that excess baggage.

The circumstances and trials are the reason for our lives to go on. We have a purpose in this life and everything we do, everything we encounter makes us the people we are in Christ. God promised us a life everlasting not one free from trials and circumstances.

If you find your life isn't moving as smoothly as you had hoped or your not moving forward as quickly as you would like, isn't it time for you to remove some of your freight or passenger cars from your engine?



In the book, To Those Who Suffer by Sean Nolen, this book takes you through that age old question of "Why God?" I found so much new insight I hadn't thought of before and now, like the analogy I shared with you above, it helps to have some new ideas on how to be thankful and praise God in all things even those storms in our lives. The sooner we can rest in His peace and assurance, the easy those waves and wind will be to navigate or in this case, the easier for our train to keep on going.

It's not I think I can, it's knowing we can. We can do all things in Christ that strengthens us. If you would like more information on this book, the author or even where to pick up a copy of this amazing book for anyone you know that's going through a difficult time, click on the link below:

To Those Who Suffer by Sean Nolan

VMI Publishers – May 2010

ISBN: 978-1-935265-22-1/paperback/$14.99

www.vmipublishers.com

I received this book, compliments of B & B Media Group for my honest review. This book is available in paperback and I would rate this book a 10 out of 10.

So Cold The River Giveaway

It started with a beautiful woman and a challenge. As a gift for her husband, Alyssa Bradford approaches Eric Shaw to make a documentary about her father-in-law, Campbell Bradford, a 95-year-old billionaire whose past is wrapped in mystery. Eric grabs the job even though there are few clues to the man's past--just the name of his hometown and an antique water bottle he's kept his entire life.

In Bradford's hometown, Eric discovers an extraordinary history--a glorious domed hotel where movie stars, presidents, athletes, and mobsters once mingled, and hot springs whose miraculous mineral water cured everything from insomnia to malaria. Neglected for years, the resort has been restored to its former grandeur just in time for Eric's stay.

Just hours after his arrival, Eric experiences a frighteningly vivid vision. As the days pass, the frequency and intensity of his hallucinations increase and draw Eric deeper into the town's dark history. He discovers that something besides the hotel has been restored--a long-forgotten evil that will stop at nothing to regain its lost glory. Brilliantly imagined and terrifyingly real, So Cold the River is a tale of irresistible suspense with a racing, unstoppable current.



My Review:

In So Cold The River by Michael Koryta, we find ourselves completely lost in the history of the Bradford family and it's ties to the famed West Baden Resort Hotel in Indiana. It's been completely restored to its former glory but something sinister lies within the mineral springs that are being pumped into the hotel from an underground river.

It's this same water that Eric finds himself in possession of when Alyssa Bradford hires him to complete a documentary on her family. She hands him a green glass bottle that despite where you place it, it remains freezing cold to the touch even in direct sunlight. Something beckons to Eric from within the bottle of water, one sip couldn't hurt could it? You'll soon find out upon journeying into this wonderful fiction of mystery and suspense.

I received this book compliments of Hachette Book Groups and found this to be worthy of the greats like Stephen King and Ted Dekker. It held my attention for 503 pages of gut wrenching, spine tingling suspense and drama. It reminded me of The Shining but without all the gore, just the suspense and intrigue keeping you on the edge of your seat literally. I would rate this book a 10 out of 10.

This book is available in paperback, hard cover, audio books, ebook and large print formats. For more information on this book, the author and where to get your copy, click on the link below:

http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/books_9780316053631.htm

I have the privileged of being able to offer 3 lucky followers of mine the chance to win your own copy courtesy of Hachette Books. To enter this giveaway, simply leave me a comment with a way to get in touch with you. You must be a follower of mine, a resident of the US or Canada and No P.O. Boxes please. The giveaway will end on July 15th.